The AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm F3.5-5.6G ED VR offers the highest ever zoom ratio for a Nikon interchangeable lens, giving a 27-450mm equivalent range on one of the company's DX-format cameras. The lens is a much more complex design than the older 18-200mm - utilizing 19 elements in 14 groups and, at 120mm long, is 23% longer. A lens with this sort of focal length span is never going to match a pair of lenses covering the same range for image quality, but that's not the point of products like this. Ultimately, the 18-300mm is a decent performer, optically, but its bulk and high price should be taken into consideration compared to competitive third-party options.

Nikon's AF-S Nikkor 18-300mm F3.5-5.6 VR lens offers the longest zoom range currently available for any interchangeable lens camera system. But this comes with all of the usual optical compromises associated with a superzoom, in a large, heavy package. It's also much more expensive than third party alternatives.

Good for: Nikon DX SLR owners looking for the longest possible zoom range in a single lens.

Not so good for: Photographers looking for the best possible image quality, especially at telephoto